Made at Columbia Studio, this is a superior old dark house thriller. Stoloff directs nicely at a cracking pace, perhaps because the script is jam packed with the standard ingredients of the sub-genre : old dark house, a will, greedy relatives, a mysterious servant, a stupid cop, seance, secret panels, mysterious experiments, a maniac on the loose and, of course, a wise-cracking reporter played by the indomitable Wally Ford. Bela Lugosi makes the best of his role as the Indian servant and delivers some juicy lines with relish and his entry is one that will delight all Lugosi fans. The film has a cracking epilogue as well.
 |
| Night of Terror |
058 CHARLIE CHAN AT THE WAX MUSEUM (1940) Directed by Lyn Shores ***
Much to my surprise I find I'm enjoying the Sidney Toler Chan's more than those starring Warner Oland.
This is an excellent entry into the series set, as the title suggests, in a wax museum. The plot offers few surprises but the fun of these films depends more on just going with the flow. This one benefits by having Marc Lawrence as an escaped gangster out to get his revenge on honourable Chinese dectective during a radio murder reconstruction. Definately worth tracking down.
Also viewed :
059 ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (1968) Directed by Sergio Leone. *****
 |
| Once Upon a Time in the West |
No comments:
Post a Comment